"Kano" recently e-mailed me to say they liked my recent analysis of the Montreal Canadiens draft record this decade and asked if I would also look at those of the other Canadian teams. I think it's a good idea which I'll do over the next couple of weeks or so as news permits. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs may be leading all NHL teams in value (according to Forbes magazine) but their on-ice performance post-lockout has left much to be desired, as the last time they made the playoffs was 2004.

This season the Leafs are so far jockeying for position with the Carolina Hurricanes as the worst team in the NHL, and part of the reason can be traced to their poor draft record over the course of this decade. 

2000: Forward Brad Boyes and goalie Mikael Tellqvist were the most notable picks for the Leafs. Boyes has had three seasons post-lockout with 65 or more points but never played a game for the Leafs. Tellqvist, once touted as the Leafs goalie of the future, spent parts of four seasons with the Leafs and now plays for AK Bars Kazan in the KHL. 

2001: Defensemen Carlo Colaiacovo, Karel Pilar and Brendan Bell and forward Kyle Wellwood emerged from this draft as NHLers. Colaiacovo struggled with concussions issues until the Leafs finally gave up on him and dealt him to St. Louis, Pilar now toils overseas, Bell only spent parts of two seasons with the Leafs and now plays in the AHL and Wellwood is a third liner with the Canucks after three season with the Leafs. 

2002: Forwards Alex Steen and Matt Stajan and blueliner Ian White have gone on to NHL careers. Steen never really played up to expectations and was dealt with Colaiacovo last season to the Blues. Stajan has been a reasonably productive center but it's believed he could be in the doghouse of GM Brian Burke. White has become a regular on the Leafs defense corps in recent years. 

2003: John Mitchell was the only selection to make the NHL. Don Cherry of HNiC's "Coach's Corner" loves this guy but so far he's shown little to indicate he'll be more than a checking line center.

2004: Goalie Justin Pogge and winger Robbie Earl were the only ones to make the NHL, but their tenures with the Leafs didn't last long. Pogge saw only 7 NHL games and now toils for the Anaheim Ducks farm team, while Earl until this season played only 9 NHL games. He was a recent call-up for the Wild but it remains to be seen how long he'll play for them this season.

2005: Netminder Tuukka Rask and defenseman Anton Stralman emerged from this draft class and like so many others they're no longer with the Leafs. Rask has a promising future with the Boston Bruins as he's currently Tim Thomas' backup. Stralman was shipped to the Calgary Flames this year who then dealt him to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he's been averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game.

2006: Forward Jiri Tlusty went higher than Nikolai Kulemin but the latter has seen more playing time with the Leafs than the former over the past two seasons. Neither has yet to prove themselves as quality NHL players.

2007: None of the Leafs picks in this year has yet to make the team but that may be premature to write off any of them just yet. 

2008: Defenseman Luke Schenn had a promising debut as an 18-year-old last season with the Leafs and appeared the best young prospect to come out of their system in years. Unfortunately this season he's suffered a significant sophomore slump leading to speculation he might play out the rest of this season with their AHL farm club. It might be a case of too much, too soon for 19-year-old Schenn this season but he does have the potential to become the future of the Leafs defense corps.

2009: None has yet emerged but it's far too early at this stage to rate the Leafs draft class for this year. 

Put simply, the Leafs have done a poor job for most of this decade drafting and developing quality talent. Out of this list only one player - Boyes - became an above-average NHL player, and he did that elsewhere. 

Of those they've kept, only Stajan and White went on to become Leafs regulars, but while they're decent players they're certainly not stars. They're supporting cast players at best. 

Only Schenn thus far appears to have the potential to one day become a star, provided he can overcome this season's struggles. GM Brian Burke is keen on the kid so it doesn't appear he'll be shipped out in any quick fix deals like those his predecessors couldn't seem to resist. 

As uneven as the Montreal Canadiens draft record was this decade, the Leafs have done much worse. 

It's possible some of the Leafs picks from 2007, 2008 and 2009 might eventually emerge as quality NHL players and salvage this club's draft record from this decade. For the sake of Leafs fans let's hope so because the record for most of this decade was poor and that's potentially bad news for the Leafs future heading into the next decade.